Argumentative Strategies

Choose one of the following pro articles to review and discuss with your classmates. If you have a different pro article you would like to use, please discuss it with your professor in advance. All articles can be found in our library databases.

Jacono, A., Chastant, R.P. & Dibelius, G. (2016). Association of patient self-esteem with perceived outcome after face-lift surgery (Links to an external site.). JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, 18(1), 42-46.

Part 2: Application
Evaluate how effective the article’s argument was using Toulmin’s model. Detail as many of the 6 components as possible:

Claim: What was the article’s main point? What’s the thesis?
Grounds: What kinds of evidence did the author use to support his/her argument? Provide an example.
Warrants: Did the author(s) successfully connect the evidence to the main point? How so?
Backing: How credible were the sources the author(s) applied? How does credulity affect your overall response?
Qualifiers: Did you notice any absolutes (all, every, each) or limiters (some, several, many)? How did they add or subtract from the argument?
Rebuttal: Did the author(s) present any points of opposition and counterarguments? How did it influence your reaction?
Note: If a section is missing completely from an article, spend of time discussing how its absence affects the overall success of the argument.